Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines

Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines

Konoe Nobuhiro

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Thirty-six poem cards; ink, color, gold, and silver on paper Swaying arrowroot vines (kuzu) in autumnal decline serve as the background for an array of Japanese and Chinese poems inscribed on poem cards (shikishi). In East Asia the arts of poetry, calligraphy, and painting are considered the “three perfections,” and since the ninth century, the Japanese have decorated screens with paintings and poems inscribed in fine calligraphy. Three pairs of shikishi are pasted on each panel: each pair is inscribed with a couplet from a Chinese poem at the right and a waka (a thirty-one-syllable Japanese-style poem) at the left. The poems share common themes such as the four seasons, bamboo, pines, or clouds. The idiosyncratic style of calligraphy, with hooks at the ends of strokes and the tall, elongated profile of the characters, is attributable to the nobleman-calligrapher Konoe Nobuhiro (1599–1649).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Anthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot VinesAnthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot VinesAnthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot VinesAnthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot VinesAnthology of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Wakan rōeishū) with Underpainting of Arrowroot Vines

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.